This book is about a stuffed rabbit named Felix that disappears from his owner (a young girl named Sophie) while she is on a school field trip at a museum. Felix sends letters home to Sophie from 6 different time periods and locations beginning with the Stone Age (15,000 B.C.) and ending with the Native Americans living in 1650 A.D. He also travels to the world of the ancient Greeks, a Viking town, the Middle Ages, and the Far East before safely returning to Sophie. The six letters as well as the big wall chart timeline spark an interest in our fascinating inheritance of the past.

Although this book does not delve deeply into the topic of archaeology I believe it is one that primary teachers could use to "kick-off" a lesson or unit on the subject. Early on in the book Sophie’s Grandma explains to her that there are scientists who have gone to places where great cities stood, and they dug up and pieced together ancient objects, from cups to buildings. This could be a great lead into a discussion/study of what archaeologists do. The letters could be used to also provoke discussion on how we learned about the people that lived in that particular time period and location. Students could make predictions about what kinds of things might have been found and compare that with what’s been written, etc. Students might also use the letters as models for writing their own letters from another time period based on research they might do! (In this case older students might also benefit from the book.)

Back to List

Title: Mummies, Bones and Body Parts
Author: Charlotte Wilcox
Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN number: 0-439-32335-5
Publication date: 2000
Grade levels: K-12
Submitted by Jennifer Becker

Mummies, Bones and Body Parts is an interesting, detailed photo compilation telling the stories of cultures past. Topics covered in this book are different burial preparations and rituals, how different specialists study remains, and the investigations of past cultures. The pictures are very authentic and detailed, which fascinated my six year old daughter, as well as my seventh graders.

I find this book to be very appealing, telling information on many different cultures yet showing the similarities that tie them together. I have used this book in my health curriculum, paying special attention to the information about paleopathologists being able to ascertain knowledge of diseases and nutrition of past cultures. It fascinates both me and my students that such methods are possible.

Back to List

The House on Maple Street is a picture book that may prompt students to ask the question, "Who was here before me?" The story progresses from 300 years ago to the present.  Early on, a young boy - we are led to believe a Sioux from the illustrations – loses an arrowhead. Years later at the same spot, a young pioneer girl finds it but loses it, along with a china tea cup, down a rabbit hole.  Both are found together by the present day residents of 107 Maple Street. The story concludes: "Someday perhaps their children will play with the tiny treasures and wonder about them, too." Along with the text, the illustrations by Beth Peck depict the manmade changes to the land over the years. 

This book can be used as a read aloud. Young listeners will be drawn in by the intriguing theme. Unfortunately, the pictures are somewhat dusky, so viewing is best done by having kids gather in closely. The book could be passed around later for closer inspection of detail. On-line reviews are mixed, but I used this with my 4^th grade successfully. It helped to get them thinking about their own homes, the changing of hands through the years, and wondering about the Native Americans who occupied the land before them.

Back to List

Back to List

This book is a fictional account of a young girl named Amelia as she begins a new year of school. On the first day she notes two exciting things. First there is a new girl at school from London. Secondly Amelia finds out that she will be working on a special project with her new teacher Ms. Busby. There is a construction site near school that discovered some Native American artifacts, and Amelia’s class is going to help some archaeologists with the dig since they only have one month.

I feel this book would be a very nice introduction into the world of archaeology. They author does a nice job of covering the steps in preparing for and actually digging for artifacts. The book is set up in a journal form and does skip around a lot between the dig and Amelia’s attempts at impressing the new girl at school. I found this format entertaining and interesting.

Back to List

Julie Welch overview and comments:
Archaeologist Dig for Clues is a very informative and engaging book that does a nice job of giving an overview of what an archaeologist does. The story follows one group of children through a day at a dig. The day starts with the children explaining how Sophie, the archaeologist, found this site and got permission to do the dig. The story explained how test pits were used and then how the actual excavation was set up including a good explanation of the tools and methods used. When the first artifact is found in the story, the reader is given a little information about archaic people and how they might have lived. At the end of the day, the children of the story mapped their finds and then returned to the lab to process that information. Overall all it was a good, simplified explanation of the job of an archaeologist. The pictures and explanations are simple enough for young children to follow and comprehend. It might be a little too simplified for the 4th or 5th grade reader.

JoAnn Adams overview and comments:
This informative action-packed book, written and illustrated by Kate Duke, describes how scientists can learn about the past with an inviting approach to a complex process. Three inquisitive children and their pets accompany their friend, Sophie, on an archaeological dig. Although the children are disappointed that they find only rocks, pebbles and dust, their enthusiastic friend explains that archaeologists love garbage and the fun is in the detective work on the site and in the lab. Through upbeat conversational text, fact-filled sidebars, and cartoon-style color drawings the children receive a basic introduction to the world of archaeology and what their discoveries reveal about the past. After brainstorming with a primary-age class about how we know about the people who lived long before us, this book would be an excellent introduction to archaeology and how ancient peoples lived.

Barb Moorhead overview and comments:
This book is for children. It is written in story form about three children going on a dig during their summer vacation with their friend Sophie, who is an archaeologist. As the adventure goes on many questions are asked by the children and they get their answers during the story. I thought the book gave a great overview of what archaeology is and what an archeologist does. The book is interesting, very informative, and well illustrated. I think students would enjoy reading it. This would work well for 1 - 4th graders or a lower reader in 5th grade.

Back to List

Title: The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells: A Book About Archaeology
Author: Joanna Cole
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN number: 0-590-92242-4
Publication date: 1997
Grade levels: 3-5 as independent reading, K-2 as a read aloud
Submitted by: Susan Schidell and Julie Welch

Susan Schidell overview and comments:
This story is from an episode of the animated TV series produced by Scholastic Publications, Inc. It is also available on video.  The Magic School Bus Series: Ms. Frizzle is an extraordinary teacher. She loves teaching science through hands-on experiences, and though that’s not unique, how she gets her class to experience each topic is. She loads them into a school bus that "magically" transports them to the place and time of that science topic. Whether it’s a trip into our circulatory system, out into the solar system, or back in time, Ms. Frizzle’s Magic School Bus becomes whatever it needs to be to get the job done.

Our leader, Ms. Frizzle, looks rather frazzled, with her hair in disarray. Each adventure finds her wearing clothes, shoes, and earrings that match the school bus’ destination. In addition, wherever the magic school bus goes, Ms. Frizzle will get her students (as well as the reader) to become part of the discovery process.

The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells: A Book About Archaeology:
This is a typical Magic School Bus adventure involving Ms. Frizzle and a group of her students. It is both educational and interesting to follow the occupants of the Magic School Bus on their quest to discover what Arnold has brought in for the International Show and Tell Competition. This time the magic school bus becomes a time-traveling Suppose-a-Tron as the students try to guess (hypothesis) why someone would have made the item to help discover what it is. This leads to a number of different stops for the group. As the journey progresses we learn about artifacts and how archaeologists work to figure out how people lived from the different objects they find in the ground.. We also learn how important it is to preserve artifacts and how archaeologists copy an artifact to preserve the original. The book also compares archaeologists trying to piece together the artifacts to get a picture of what life might have been like at that time, to us when we try to fit puzzle pieces together to see the whole picture.

I enjoyed this book. It explains archaeology in a way that 8-10 years olds will understand. Instead of just telling us facts about archaeology, it explains the idea behind archaeology and allows us to hypothesis with Ms. Frizzle’s class. The colorful and informative illustrations are sure to hold the interest of students, too. I especially like the way the book compares what an archaeologist does to something we all do. By having us use the higher level thinking skill of comparing, it is helping us become better thinkers and training us to be the archaeologists of tomorrow.

Julie Welch overview and comments:
The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells: A Book About Archaeology is an entertaining and informative book for children. It would be easy reading for most 3rd-5th graders and would make a good read aloud for younger children. It may be a bit immature for 4th or 5th grade readers, but the concepts it covers are important to archaeology and difficult to explain, but this book does a very nice job.

The problem of the story has the main characters trying to discover what an unknown item is. The term hypothesis is introduced and the story follows the characters as they make different hypothesis and then test their theories. This is a very good explanation of experimental archaeology and was fun and easy to follow and understand.

Back to List

Title: Wild Man Island
Author: Will Hobbs
Publisher: HarperTrophy
ISBN number: 0-380-73310-2
Publication date: 2002
Grade levels: 3-6
Submitted by: Patty Finger

Wild Man Island tells of a teenage boy, Will, trying to come to terms with the death of his father, an archaeologist. The father had been in southeast Alaska trying to prove that the first Americans paddled across the Bering Strait rather than using a land bridge. Will signs up for an adventure trip in the area and sneaks off to visit the place of his father's death. He gets blown off course and ends up on a nearby island. He fights for survival and is helped by a large dog and a wild man with stone tipped spears and a cave full of rock art. Much of the story revolves around wilderness survival, but references to flintknapping are added as Will reminisces about times spent with his father and puzzles about this pre-historic man who keeps appearing and disappearing. Who is the man really? This was a pretty good book. I would recommend it to my students. Not a lot of real archaeology, but fast paced and full of adventure.

Back to List

 

Title: How They Lived: An Ice Age Hunter
Author: Lucilla Watson
Publisher: Rouke Enterprises
ISBN number: 0-86592-143-1
Publication date: 1986
Grade levels: 3-7
Submitted by: Pamela Houtman

This book describes the day-to-day life of Ice Age people. Each chapter in this book describes how the Ice Age people may have lived. It discusses their weapons, methods of hunting, homes, clothing, and physical environment. The best part about this book is that it uses evidence that has been found to paint a clear picture of how Ice Age people may have lived. The archeological terms are defined on each page they are used on. This makes it easy for the reader to understand what they are reading. The author and illustrator have done excellent work combining pictures of Ice Age people, their living areas, and the environment around them with actual photographs of artifacts that help define and support the story of how the Ice Age people lived.

I would use this book as a good resource of how people lived during the Ice Age. Students can read it to get a good overview and picture of what life may have been like during the Ice Age period. Younger students may need someone to read the book with them or to them because of the lengthy sentences and some of the terms used.

Back to List

Sixty-three pages containing colored maps and illustrations. This book is an idea and activity book for students. The activities such as making clothes or tools would be enjoyed by 2^nd – 6^th grade students. The models of homes and village sites pictured in the book are great examples for any age, especially if they were constructing models.

Activities: Basic flintknapping, building a mammoth bone hut, creating clothing and jewelry, tool construction (atlatl, bow-drill), ancient art, pottery, music, communication, and rituals.

Models pictured: Paleo home site, shelters (cave, stick hut, mastodon hut, thatched houses, etc.), a central European farming village, cave drawings, early boats, late Neolithic settlement, a shrine, a burial tomb, and a excavation team on an archaeological dig.

Back to List

Indian Handcrafts, 2^nd edition, is the well researched work of C. Wilbur Keith, who has written about a variety of early American history topics for children and young adults over the past two decades. This guide touches on Woodland Indian tools, toys, ornaments, shelters and clothing. It explains how each of many objects evolved, how the object was used, and what tools and materials are needed to recreate it. The illustrations are hand drawn pen and ink sketches.

I have used this book in a variety of ways with children over the years. It would be a wonderful resource for teachers and other adults who are looking to help children and young adults explore authentic American Indian tools, clothing, shelter, and more. Be certain to use the most recent edition.

Back to List

Carol Howard overview and comments:
Illustrations, photographs, and text alternate with hands-on archaeology projects for kids. Some of the projects include constructing sifting screens, doing surface surveys, and classifying pottery. Most of the projects use readily available materials. There are 25 activities in all. Although the sepia colored photographs and the mustard colored project pages and side bars are not very lively, this is a very usable book. It would make a great text for a summer school class or a teacher's reference book. The text is double spaced, and the white space around it makes it very readable. The text explains how the different cultures lived and how archaeologists investigate. This book's strengths are the projects not the text. Also included is a time line from 65 million B.C. to 1997. There is an index, glossary, bibliography, and, what I thought was especially great, archaeology based web sites.

Julie Knobloch overview and comments:
Archaeology for Kids: Uncovering the Mysteries of the Past provides the essential background knowledge needed to get a basic understanding of the science of archaeology. Practical, kid-friendly activities relating to various concepts of archaeology are interwoven throughout the book. The reader is exposed to past world cultures in chronological order. The accompanying timeline and glossary help provide clarification of archaeological events and terminology.

As an amateur in the field of archaeology, I found this book to be very helpful in developing a basic understanding of what archaeology is. I liked the activities that were embedded within the text. I thought they were very practical, and they gave a hands-on way of understanding and applying the material presented. I would recommend this book to any budding archaeologist, young or old.

Back to List

Bodies from the Past first defines the difference between a body and a skeleton giving reasons why a body is a more valuable find for the archaeologist. Having organs to study, and sometimes even hair and clothing, the archaeologist can spend years working on one of these exceptional finds and discover an amazing amount of information about the person ranging from diet and nutrition, to class rank in the community and cause of death. Several of the most notable discoveries in the last quarter century are highlighted in two to three page articles. Coverage is given to The Ice Man of the Alps, the bodies found in Danish tree coffins, bodies from the peat bogs of Northern Europe and others. The author makes a point of describing how new technology has made it possible to recreate the original state of the body even more accurately than in the past. The reader is reminded often that the preservation of these bodies was the result of just the right combination of physical circumstances, and that archaeologists working on an ancient body can do so for only short periods of time since any prolonged exposure to air would cause the body to completely breakdown and decay. As methods and technology improve over time, more and more information about the past is being recovered from these ancient bodies.

Resources at the back of the book include a time line divided into areas of the world, a glossary and index as well as books for further reading and the addresses and phone numbers of museums in the United States with holdings that include an ancient body.

This is a fascinating read. Students, particularly those in upper elementary and middle school, will be drawn in by the format with its fairly large print, abundant white space and graphic color photographs. There is much to learn about the preservation of not only the body with its skin, hair, nails and internal organs, but also the conditions under which textiles and tools remained intact. Drawbacks would be found in the resources cited. None of the books listed for further reading were published after 1994. The phone numbers for the museums are probably inaccurate and, of course, there are no web sites listed.

Back to List

Title: Buried in Ice - The Mystery of a Lost Arctic Expedition
Author: Owen Beattie and John Geiger
Published by: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN number: 015015138
Publication date: 1992
Grade levels: 4-8
Submitted by: Barbara Bauer

This is an incredible book. I think you could use it for a introduction into the science of archaeology and work of an archaeologist. In fourth grade, we discuss the extremes-life on the edge and why people do things that are dangerous. (Climbing Mount Everest, going to the moon, chasing tornadoes, etc) This book is about a group of sailors looking for the Northwest Passage and freezing to death or dying on the way. The part that interested me the most was how the scientists, anthropologists and other scientists used a grid and labeled everything they found. And, because this was a burial site, they put it all back exactly where they had found it. They made hypothesis and then confirmed them with other scientific research. Finding pieces of a can, silverware, native people with information, all led to the uncovering of what really happened long ago.

Scientists helping scientist just like what we are doing! This was not a book on early people, but it could be used to compare what scientists do today to uncover a past event or find out what happened and why people died, is very much like archaeologists using the same techniques to uncover how people lived.

Back to List

Dani Hartman overview and comments:
This book is beautifully designed and provides a detailed overview of archaeology from a global perspective. Illustrations are mostly photographs and are artfully arranged to visually appeal to any reader. There is something of interest to every reader listed in the table of contents, whether it’s human remains, why we excavate at all, marine archaeology, or how archaeologists go about restoring items that are found. The book begins with how to find a site and progresses to the different branches of archaeology, ending with a nice tie to the future and preservation of sites. The amount of detail in the photographs as well as the text is outstanding.

There is a large amount of text on each page but this book could appeal to all age levels. I learned a great deal when I read this book. Upper elementary students will be drawn to the amazing photographs and will probably read picture captions only. The middle school student and teacher will find this an invaluable research tool, providing a brief overview of many branches of archaeology and igniting an interest in other branches. The Table of Contents and Index are user friendly and informative.

Kathy Waldvogel overview and comments:
This book could definitely be used as a resource for students who are just learning about archeology. Areas of interest in the book are numerous and include such topics as "dating the past", "fakes and forgeries", and "mounds and monuments". The layout of the book itself (a two-page spread for each topic) compels you to learn more. The intriguing photographs immediately capture your attention and draw you into the text. Each page includes a written overview of the topic, as well as captions to accompany the photographs. This book will be one you refer to again and again.

Back to List

By looking at the title of this book, one would conclude that its content discusses historic Indians. The title is misleading. While a good portion of this book provides information about historic Indians of Wisconsin, it does so within the context of prehistoric natives, an introduction to archaeology, and the study and collecting of artifacts. As an elementary teacher, I found this book to be an excellent resource for gaining personal understanding and for providing informed instruction of prehistoric Indians.

There are a number of characteristics that make this book a good resource. First, individual topics are laid out in short and concise chapters. Each topic, like the Paleo or Archaic cultures, is separated into chapters of two or three pages. This type of layout helps one to focus on the individual concepts or topics without getting overloaded with a huge quantity of information. Second, vocabulary words are explained within the text. The first time a term, like hafting, is used the author defines it. This aids in understanding the material and allows one to use this book without a dictionary or other reference materials. Third, the book is very user friendly. Closed, it measures eight and one half by eleven inches. This size combined with larger print and tasteful pen and ink diagrams allows the reader to locate and comprehend information quickly. Finally, Indians of Wisconsin and the Surrounding Area contains some good detailed information. Some of the topics include The Creation Story; Paleo, Archaic, Woodland and Mississippian cultures; Effigy Mounds; Pottery; and Lithics. This book also defines archaeology and describes some of the processes involved with this field of study. Some of the ethics of collecting and the laws regarding Indian graves are also broached.

It appears that Allen S. Hanson may have self-published this book for there was no ISBN number or publisher listed. Not with standing, I found copies in the Eau Claire Public Library as well as libraries in many of the surrounding communities. In the preface Allen S. Hanson stated, "This book is intended for use by students who can study topics they enjoy…. and also for the layperson with an interest in Native American history." I believe he has accomplished his goal. Allen Hanson can also add to this list teachers who are seeking a comprehensive resource that is easy to read and understand.

Back to List

Messages on Stone is a very simple book and a good resource if you want to know more about Native American Rock Art from the western states. This book has rock art symbols and images illustrated in alphabetically groupings such as birds, hunting, reptiles, warfare and so on with an explanation of why these images might have been made and what they tell us about the ancient people. The authors explains how pictographs and petroglyphs were painted, carved or etched and how weathering and erosion has affected their state of preservation. I thought the authors could have done a better job explaining how they had come to some of their interpretations such as symbols thought to have mystical religious significance. It is a good resource showing exact illustrated replicas of western rock art, the location and possible meanings.

Back to List

Back to List

 

Title: Painters of the Caves
Author: Patricia Lauber
Publisher: National Geographic Society Washington, D.C.
ISBN number: 0792270959
Publication date: 1998
Grade levels: 4-8
Submitted by: Paula Charron

Painters of the Caves is a beautiful book showing how art tells a story and spans time linking us to people of the prehistoric past. Lauber begins with a terrific explanation of the time know as the ice age. She weaves a picture of the climatic condition of ice building up, flowing, the earth warming again and finally the melting floods that bring life back to the land. The reader truly gets a great picture of the vastness of time as well as where humans fit into this timeline. She writes about the early modern humans and the major advances that took place 40,000 years ago in regards to tool making, the understanding of animal migration and new uses of fire. She suggests that the early moderns had developed a very successful way of life that perhaps gave them time for leisure and art making. The idea comes across that art making must have held great meaning for the early moderns as it took great efforts to paint on the ceilings and walls of these very deep, dark caves. She not only explains what was painted and how, but beautifully connects the clues found in the art works with reasons why the art might have been made. She also helps the reader see how the archaeologist gains insight about the lives of these early humans through the examination of the art in CONTEXT to what else was found at the site. She takes the reader through a very descriptive scenario of how a young person might have been taken to the cave to learn about their history and beliefs. She finishes her book with a picture of how life changed after the ice age and how great paintings of the caves were lost to time until discovered in most recent times.

Back to List

Detailed cross-sections show a European city (perhaps London) from the Stone Age to the twentieth century, including the structures which are raised and torn down, the people who inhabit the city, and an accumulating underground collection of artifacts. This is a great book. Besides showing the accumulating layers and having lots of interesting detail on every page, there is a family which appears in a Waldoesque fashion during every age. While searching for the family, you find many more details to look at. There are also interesting pieces of information on every age. For example: Blue tattoos-the people of the Iron Age painted or tattooed themselves with intricate swirling patterns drawn with a blue vegetable dye called woad. The introduction gives a clear picture and explanation of strata. The work of archaeologists in briefly explained.

Back to List

Ellyn Thibodeau overview and comments:
This book is a virtual field trip to the Mesa Verde region of Colorado. It centers on a group of eighth graders from Hannibal, Missouri who take a field trip to the Mesa Verde area to work with archaeologists. They are trying to answerer the question as to why the Ancestral Puebloan people left this area around A.D. 1300. The book is full of vivid photographs of the area, the students, and some of the artifacts the students uncover.

The author did a nice job of dividing the book into six sections covering the past, preparing for the dig, digging into the past, and experiential learning. Throughout the chapter there are one page excerpts entitled "Why Did They Leave?" These each cover a different theory about why the original people may have left, and I feel really get the reader thinking. On the final "Why Did They Leave", they tie all of the theories together.

This book would be a good resource for helping to interest young people in the field of archaeology. The reading was interesting and not too difficult, and the photographs were colorful and informative.

Jerry Schwarz overview and comments:
This book concerns a group of eighth grade students on an archaeological dig at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Colorado near the Four Corners area. The students explore the question, "Why did the Pueblo people leave this area after living in it for more than a thousand years?" The succeeding chapters involve the preparation for their excavation, the importance of not moving artifacts (context) and methods of dating artifacts (such as dendrochronology). There is a glossary of archaeological terms as well as a suggested list for further readings concerning the Pueblo and archaeology. The URL for Crow Canyon website is given inaccurately, the correct web site is http://www.crowcanyon.org/.

I found this book to be informative and entertaining. This would be an appropriate text to use in the introduction of archaeology with intermediate students. There are several colorful photographs that show examples of artifacts and the process of archaeology. One puzzling aspect of the book is that the title makes reference to petroglyphs, yet very little is said about the interpretation or significance of them. The Crow Canyon website appears to be a good resource for the classroom as an introduction to archaeology.

Back to List

This book describes the work of Archeologists. It describes the archeologist as a detective from the past and how he/she uses clues from the past as evidence in his/her work. It describes how evidence is "pieced" together using pottery, burials and bodies, animal and plant remains, buildings and writing. The book also describes how archeologists preserve the past as well as how they determine which objects uncovered are fakes or copies.

The author did a nice job of dividing the book into all of the different aspects of archaeology. There are many headings within the pages that will help students find the information they are looking for. The illustrations will help students and make the book more "user friendly" for fourth and fifth grade students, even though the content appeals through the eighth grade. Examples were given for all topics and detailed in the illustrations.

This book would be a good resource for helping young people to get an overall picture of the field of archaeology. The text may be somewhat difficult for fourth and fifth graders, but the pictures that are included make the book usable at these levels. The headings will help young readers find information and give main ideas.

A teacher could also use this book to teach the parts of a book as it has a Table of Contents, Title page, Glossary, and Index. This makes the book cross-curricular.

Back to List

Title: Archaeology - Kingfisher Knowledge
Author: Trevor Barnes
Published by: Kingfisher, Boston
ISBN number: ISBN 0-7534-5768-7
Publication date: 2004
Grade levels: 4-12
Submitted by: Cathy Ryba

As the foreword says, "The trouble with archaeology is that it's difficult to spell. A lot of people think that a word that has 'aeo' in the middle of it must refer to something so complicated that only huge-brained people could possibly understand it." The book goes on to show what archaeology is, the history of archaeology, and what archaeologists do. It looks into the future to see with new technologies how to extend the boundaries of what we know. Beautiful photographs of existing sites around the world and the knowledge gained at each site completes the book. Ancient sites like Babylon, Pompeii, and Aztecs are looked at. It even looks at battlefield archaeology and how it might tell a different story from the history books. There are links to web sites, books, and places to visit to discover more about the field of archaeology. This is a great resource book for the classroom.

Back to List

This is a beautiful and intriguing book. It moves from the hunter/gatherers through the industrial age. All world-wide sites for a particular time period are shown on a map of the world. Each period is illustrated with photographs of the artifacts found at each site. The artifacts are captioned. A detailed, full-color drawing of the site as it would have appeared originally is included. Photographs also show archaeologists at work. Their techniques are explained. Site evidence and the conclusions drawn are given for each site. The book also contains a gazetteer, glossary, and index. The maps are clear and easy to read. Although aimed at an older audience, this book is formatted much like the Eyewitness series.

Back to List

I discovered this wonderful teaching resource while browsing at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin booth at the Wisconsin Education Association Council’s convention during the fall of 2000. I had previously purchased the best Wisconsin atlas that has been published, Wisconsin’s Past and Present: A Historical Atlas by the Wisconsin Cartographers’ Guild. This atlas is an outstanding overall informational resource for anyone teaching Wisconsin social studies.

Mapping Wisconsin History: Teacher’s Guide and Student Materials is a product of the SHSW Office of School Services effort to make the aforementioned historical atlas materials more teacher friendly and appropriate for use in the intermediate through high school classroom.

Mapping Wisconsin History contains eight thematic chapters spanning from the time of the Paleo-Indians, Wisconsin’s first people, to the present. Meaningful map exercises and concept activities provide visual and hands-on learning experiences derived from the maps and content materials contained in Wisconsin’s Past and Present: A Historical Atlas. The second chapter of Mapping Wisconsin History… is entitled "Native Americans." Featured are teaching maps and materials focused on the archaeology of Early Cultures, Effigy Mound Culture, and Rock Art. The remaining thematic chapters are Chapter 1-Landscape; Chapter 3-Migration and Settlement; Chapter 4-Cities and Counties; Chapter 5-Mining and Shipping; Chapter 6-Timber; Chapter 7-Agriculture; and Chapter 8-Transportation and Industry.

Other great teacher friendly features are the copy ready black-and-white maps that correspond with colorful and most importantly, ready-to-use, overhead transparency maps. All the maps are drawn to the same scale and can be overlapped to project multiple maps at one time.

The lessons and student materials contained in Mapping Wisconsin History: Teacher’s Guide and Student Materials nicely translates vast amounts of information contained in the Wisconsin’s Past and Present: A Historical Atlas. I believe both of these resource can help teachers foster awareness, understanding, and appreciation of our state’s rich archaeological past.

Back to List

Title: The Mildenhall Treasure
Author: Roald Dahl
Publisher: Alfred A. Knop; A Division of Random House, New York
ISBN number: 0375810358
Publication date: 1999, 1977
Grade levels: 4-12
Submitted by: Tim Sprain

The Mildenhall Treasure is true story of the greatest find of ancient Roman artifacts in the history of Great Britain. A farmer by the name of Butcher was hired to plow a field for a man named Ford at the start of WWII. While plowing Butcher makes the discovery and the story of how Ford manages to take the treasure is told throughout the book. This story gives the account of the Mildenhall Treasure as well as details of Britain's laws regarding archeological discoveries within Great Britain.

The Mildenhall Treasure was originally published in 1977 as a story in The Saturday Evening Post . In 1999 it was updated to include illustrations by Ralph Steadman. The first chapter of the book tells the story of how Ronald Dahl, in the year 1946, talked to Butcher and Ford. This is a wonderful book for catching the interest of students because of the wonder of finding lost treasure. It also has a good focus on the laws of archeology and the dilemma that individuals go through after encountering artifacts.

Back to List

Title: The Romance of Wisconsin Place Names
Authors: Robert Gard and L.G. Sorden
Publisher: Heartland Press
ISBN number: 0-942802-88-8
Publication date: 1988
Grade levels: Grade 4 - 12
Submitted by: Heidi Tubbs

This book allows you to look up places in Wisconsin and learn the history behind the name. It also lists the county which the place can be found. In the teacher's guide, Intrigue Of The Past, Lesson 27 is titled State Place Names. The Romance of Wisconsin Place Names could be used as a resource to create worksheets for that lesson. The worksheets would list "Wisconsin Indian Place Names" and "Wisconsin Settler Place Names."

Back to List

This book starts out with an explanation of what archaeology is. It talks about the different misconceptions that most people have about archaeology such as the risk and adventure seen on TV. The book discusses how archaeologists use physical evidence to make assessments about certain people. What they look for and understand from items such as pottery sherds, stone artifacts, bones, other invertebrate animals, plants, and animals. Laying out sites for excavation and how other technology such as aerial photography can lend a helping hand. There is a real methodology to excavation and this book does in my opinion a good job of helping students and teachers understand it. Finally the last part of the first section deals with dating artifacts. It explains several methods archaeologists have to date various objects. Probably the most interesting though is the radioactive carbon dating (C-14) and Potassium-argon dating (K-Ar). The book does a nice job of relating the two.

The second half of the book is a good resource for teachers and students on various events throughout history. It discusses how archaeologists have helped in the understanding of life as far back as 3.8million years ago. Highlighted in this section are various cultures that thrived in various parts of the world and some structures that are still misunderstood. A social studies teachers guide to civilizations through the eyes of the archaeologist makes this book a great resource for any classroom. Topics such as Pompeii, Stonehenge, Egypt, Vikings and even the ancient Olympics are explained in detail within this last section of the book. It jumps around to many famous places and events which makes this a good source for many classrooms, not just the sixth grade classroom or the seventh. This book covers many topics and I found it not as a cover to cover read necessarily but a place to go for answers to many questions.

Back to List

This is a fictional story of an archaeological adventure. Two boys find an old farm garbage site (1800’s). With the help of one of their mothers, an archaeologist, they try to determine what significance this historic late 1800’s farm site has on a small town. They also find a Native American fire pit but don’t go into much detail about it. The book follows archaeological procedures and process. I am impressed with the discussion of cataloging and storing of artifacts. It contains nice illustrations to show the tools and procedures.

This book is a good read aloud for 3-8^th grade. The story does get a little dry at times. A fifth or sixth grader could read this easily with a few explanations of technical processes. It also contains a glossary of archaeological terms.

Back to List

Native American Rock Art is a book that provides a basic overview of rock art found in the United States. Topics discussed include the differences between petroglyphs and pictographs, dating rock art, materials used to make rock art, and how to preserve current sites. Much controversy surrounds interpretation of rock art, especially when there is no other contextual evidence found nearby to help provide clues. Many times, however, archaeologists have found artifacts near rock art that help provide clues to past cultures. There is a focus on the southwestern part of the United States and the conclusions that scientists have been able to draw with the help of rock art as a historical record.

I like that this book provides a basic overview of rock art and many of the materials used to produce it. At the end of the book, specific rock art sites are listed for 26 states that people could go and visit. There is a user friendly glossary at the very end that I also thought was good. The best part about this book is the connection a classroom teacher could make between science and art. Students would be very interested in creating their own petroglyphs and pictographs and would enjoy the science behind what materials were used from nature to produce the actual art work. This book lends itself well to integration with the arts and would also be a way to enrich students interested in this topic.

Back to List

Title: Stones and Bones! How Archaeologists Trace Human Origins
Author: University of Minnesota
Publisher: Runestone Press
ISBN number: 0-8225-3207-7
Publication date: 1994
Grade levels: 5-9 - middle school reading level.
Submitted by: Beth A. Oswald

Stones and Bones describes the history of humans from the first humanlike animals until the age of recorded history. Over time, prehistoric humans learned how to shape smooth stones into sharp-edged tools and weapons. They developed techniques to hunt dangerous prehistoric animals. Eventually, early humans also discovered fire and created works of art.

The first humans lived in Africa. As they mastered the skill of survival, people gradually migrated to other regions. As a result, archaeologists find the remains of prehistoric humans throughout the world. Stones and Bones explains how these scientists dig up and study stone tools, the bones of hunted animals, cave paintings, and even the skulls of our prehistoric ancestors. From this evidence, archaeologists work together to trace human origins.

Stones and Bones provides a comprehensive overview of the prehistory, archaeology and its methods, and early human life. It is written at a level that is not only easy for laypeople to understand, but also one that would make it easy to relay information to my middle school students. One good example of the teach-ability of this book is the way it portrays time:

To get a better idea of how short recorded history is when compared to prehistory, imagine that this book symbolizes five million years, with each page representing an equal number of years. As you turn the pages of the book, you march through time, seeing small bands of hunters and gatherers who moved their camps from place to place. Although these wanderers would eventually develop strong weapons and sturdy dwellings, their basic ways of life would change little until the last page of the book.

About halfway down the last page, humans would begin to farm the land and settle in permanent villages. In the last two or three sentences, people would build the first cities and invent writing. These last sentences represent recorded history, a time we know in detail. The pages leading up to this point make up prehistory (7).

Additionally, there are a variety of photos and maps in Stones and Bones, some of which could be reproduced as overhead transparencies or projected via computer.

Stones and Bones is part of a series called Buried Worlds. I have one other book from the series: Dig This! How Archaeologists Uncover Our Past. It is equally as good as Stones and Bones, as far as imparting a plethora of scientific and academic knowledge in a user-friendly way. Other books in the series include: Charge! Weapons and Warfare in Ancient Times; Fired Up! Making Pottery in Ancient Times; Piece by Piece! Mosaics of the Ancient World; Sold! The Origins of Money and Trade; Dazzling! Jewelry of the Ancient World; Scrawl! Writing in Ancient Times; Street Smart! Cities of the Ancient World; and Sunk! Exploring Underwater Archaeology. While I haven't read any of these other books, I would definitely consider doing so!

Back to List

 

Adventures in Archaeology tells about the history of archaeology through time and how it has evolved and progressed. An interesting fact stated in the book is that the science of archaeology began during the Renaissance Period and it was around this time that people started to discover that animals and humans inhabited the earth before them. The book also defines three main periods that can be used to organize the past: the Stone age, Bronze age, and Iron age. Next, the book breaks things down into several types of archaeological sites such as Lost Cities, Vanished Empires, Tombs, Graves, Bones, and Bodies. Within each category it then gives examples of actual archaeological finds that are on record and shares some background information on each. A couple of well known examples are the Mayan ruins and the mummies of Egypt.

This book does a great job of showing the "big picture" of archaeology as well as providing a great resource for information regarding some of the better known archaeological finds. This detailed information would prove to be a great resource for any classroom as well as offering research information that would be related to many Social Studies topics. The text does get a bit complex, but it would still be appropriate for middle school students.

Back to List

The book, Motel of the Mysteries is a great spoof on the Howard Carter discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamon. It is a quick fiction read which shows the demise of the Usa culture. An amateur archaeologist, Howard Carson and his assistant, Harriet Burton make many observations with hilarious inferences.

This book would be most appropriate for middle school students, although it could be adapted for elementary and high school students. I could see this book as an excellent interest hook. I plan to use this book in the following manner. I will initially begin with observations and inferences. We will than view "The Treasures" from the Motel of the Mysteries after reading about the find by Carson. We will then do a garbage study and make some inferences from the observations and then discuss the misconceptions we can arrive at due to our personal bias. This will be background knowledge for the study of pre-European cultures.

This is a great book for students to understand that inferences aren’t always right. We must always remind ourselves that our attitudes together with objects we are familiar with introduce bias into our reconstructions of the past.

Back to List

Back to List

 

Title: Archaeology Smart, Jr.: Discovering History’s Buried Treasure
Author: Karen J. Laubenstein
Publisher: Random House, Inc.
ISBN number: 0-679-77537-4
Publication date: 1997
Grade levels: 6-8 (upper 4-5 could handle)
Submitted by: Ruth DeJarlais

This book tells how archaeologists find and study the clues that tell us all about the prehistoric eras. It does that through a story format in which Beauregard, a talking cat, and his three friends, Barnaby, Bridget, and Babette find a bag full of ancient artifacts stolen by the evil Dastardly Looter and must try to return them to their proper times and places. They do this with the help of a time machine while being chased by the thief and his dog. Their stops on this adventure include the Eagle Mesa Field School in southwest Colorado, eastern Africa (where Mary Leakey and her team excavated), the Innsbruck Institute for Forensic Medicine, Stonehenge (England), the Mesa Site in Alaska, and the Imperial City in Alexandria, Egypt.

Some of the best features of this book are the "Activities" sections following each chapter, the extensive Glossary, and the "Internet Resources in Archaeology" listed at the back of the book. There is also a lengthy bibliography that indicates the author used many references to help with the accuracy of details in the book as well as obtaining the most current information on the topic. The "Activities" sections include vocabulary lists, a variety of topics for further discussion, ideas for student projects, as well as six quizzes reviewing the contents of the book. I think many teachers would find this an excellent resource for an introduction to and overview of the science of archaeology. It also shows how this field is related to many others – anthropology, ethnology, etc.

Back to List

Title: Early Humans, Interdisciplinary Thematic Unit
Author: Michelle Breyer, M.A.
Publisher: Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
ISBN number: 1-55734-572-4
Publication date: 1995
Grade levels: 6-8
Submitted by: LeeAnn Stremkowski

This resource has been of great value to me over the past four years. There are a number of activities and worksheets that not only supply information to the students, but also assignments for them to complete. The book includes over two hundred pages including bulletin board ideas, assessments, and a great bibliography of other resources.

Back to List

Title: The Archaeology of North America
Author: Dean R. Snow
Publisher: Chelsea House Publishers, New York & Philadelphia
ISBN number: 1-55546-691-5
Publication date: 1989
Grade levels: 6-12
Submitted by: Angie McCauley

This book is a very interesting book that tells how archaeologists investigate North American Indians, their origins and their prehistory. It tells how some of the early settlements came from areas of Siberia to what is now known as Alaska and how evidence points to their travels into other areas of North America. This book also includes an abundance of information about reading tree-rings, radiocarbon dating, and other dating methods. There is also a good overview on farming practices, the political systems, social systems, and trading networks.

I found this book very interesting and a good source to use throughout the rest of this class. One of the reasons I like this book is that it includes scholars who are American Indians. This makes the information much more accurate, in my opinion, than a book written from the viewpoint of a group that did not have that slant.

One very interesting part that stood out for me was the description of the Hopewell culture. This culture was known for its influences that led to the cultural development of the Effigy Mound culture. Places such as Baraboo and Madison were noted for the many different types of mounds located in and around those areas.

Back to List

 

Title: Dig This, How Archeologist Uncover our Past
Author: Michael Avi-yomah
Publisher: Runestone Press, Minneapolis
ISBN number: 0-8225-3200-X
Publication date: 1993
Grade levels: 6-10
Submitted by: Kathy Keeney

I was curious to see just what our Library Media Center had on archeology, so Carol V., went up and picked up some for us to peruse. I chose this book, "Dig This" because of the interesting cover and the title. It proves that you can judge a book by its cover, because I was quite impressed with this book.

The book was written about the jobs archeologists do, where archeologists search for artifacts, what methods and tools archeologists use to uncover some of the secrets of our past and how archeology became a true science. This book also describes some of the early civilizations of the Middle East, Asia, the Mediterranean and the American civilizations. Black and white photographs were displayed as well as color photos and sketches showing some of the artifacts discovered by archeologists. The book described the historical timeline that eventually gave archeology its science credentials. The book described how early excavations were not more than piracy and that the "digs" weren't valued as true science until the late 1800's. The book's final chapter discusses the value of studying our ancestors and how that understanding impacts our lives today. I believe this to be an attempt to keep fresh and current the need to keep archeology alive in our current world.

This book is definitely a good resource for students interested in learning about archeology. The book has a glossary and a pronunciation key. The pronunciation key is not a great help, but better than no pronunciation key at all. The glossary is easy to read and thorough. The print of the pages is a reader friendly format and has an adequate amount of spacing to ensure the ease of reading while breaking with quality pictures.

The book covers the history, the processes and the value of archeology. There are many jobs shown in the illustrations that would possibly entice a student to investigate the possibility of a career in archeology.

I found myself easily drawn in to the information and pictures. This book holds a great deal of scientific fact while, at the same time providing interest and color to what I considered previously to be a career looking at dead stuff. This puts archeology in a well-deserved positive light.

Back to List

The book attempts to provide a new learner with a one stop shopping resource for information about Archaeology. It starts with a user’s guide, includes a very readable timeline, provides history of the science, defines terms, methods, explains some prominent theories and ends with overviews of some prominent past civilizations. The book is good to look at and has a very good feel. It is in paperback and is about the size of a study bible. It is printed on medium weight paper; all pictures are in color. The typeface is small and light, but sharp and not crowed on the page. I chose the book for all of the above reasons. I plan to use it in my classroom and well as a family resource. The price was about $13.00 dollars. Makes a very nice gift.

Back to List

The steamboat Arabia was sunk by a submerged log on the Missouri River in 1856. All passengers survived with the exception of a mule that was tied to the boat; the 220 ton of cargo also survived. The Missouri River changed course several times throughout the late 1800’s burying the steamboat under a cornfield. Several individuals unsuccessfully attempted to stake claim on the merchandise. That is, until the Hawley family researched, excavated and preserved the precious cargo in the 1990’s. This book tells the whole story of one families dream and treasure.

The story is incredible and is unique enough to fascinate students with the process of archeology. It also focuses a lot on the research and money that is required to do a good job of finding and documenting archeological sites. The collaboration between the Hawley’s and all other parties involved is a good example for students to be able to understand the time and effort that is needed to recover artifacts properly.

Back to List

No book of this scope has been written for almost 150 years. It is an important up-to-date survey of mounds in Wisconsin. It is estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 of these earthworks could be found when the first European and American explorers and settlers arrived.

This book is quite a find! It is extremely informative and covers the initial mystery of the mounds, the ongoing speculation about who built them, and describes and documents mounds built mainly by the Woodland and Mississippian Cultures and very early in the Oneota culture. The authors unravel the mound building traditions in chronological order. Starting with the mystery, speculation, and ongoing excavations to find out who the mound builders were.

They proceed to describe the early mound builders (Early and Middle Woodland Stages), the Effigy Mound Builders (Late Woodland Stage ), the Temple Mound Builders ( Mississippian Tradition ), later mound construction and use, and also cover Indian Mounds in the modern world.

The authors carefully and in colorful detail relate these findings to the Science of Archaeology and the need to confine the findings and historical perspectives to the realm of scientifically acquired facts.

Indian Mounds is a very readable book that allows for some speculation, but is based strongly upon facts and insights provided by the sciences of Archaeology, Anthropology, and Ethnology.

A background in the terminology of archaeology would be helpful to the reader-however it is so thorough in its coverage and explanations that as much as one text can be a sole source of information about this topic, it certainly delivers. It could definitely be the primary source upon which an in-depth study of the mound builders could be based.

The book includes over fifty illustrations ( drawings and photographs) featuring maps, aerial photographs, and charts that explain, enrich, and clarify the information within. It could be useful as a background information and research instrument for cataloging and categorizing mounds, artifacts, and the groups of people involved in the building process.

It contains an appendix of selected mounds open to the public in Wisconsin, notes for each chapter with additional resources, a bibliography, and an index.

Finally, this book tells a story, actually a series of stories, that correlate with archaeological evidence of past cultures, that bring into focus the development of present Native American cultures. It allows the reader to sample current issues, debates, and discussions that are present in archaeological circles concerning traditions, cultures and their interwoven connection from then, to now.

Back to List

 

Title: A Lake Where Spirits Live: A human history of the Midwest's most popular park
Authors: Kenneth Lange & Ralph Tuttle
Publisher: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
ISBN number: Unknown
Publication date: 1975
Grades levels: 8-12
Submitted by: Robyn Kademan

This book discusses the human history of Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo, Wisconsin. The history begins 12,000-10,000 years ago with the natives living in the area when the glacier was beginning to melt and then focuses on the mid to late 1800s through the early and mid 1900s. Topics covered include: basic geology of the park, early visitors, naming of the lake, early visitors, hotels, and how Devil's Lake became a state park. Along with the stories, there are early pictures of the park.

This book only touches briefly on the early settlers to the area before it jumps to discussing the more modern history (1850-1950). The information given, though 30 years old, is a good starting point to discovering the human history of the area. With archaeological evidence of people in the area between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago, it is a good story to spark the interest of archaeology in the area. Both the early and more recent history will be a welcome addition to any trip to the Midwest's most popular park, Devil's Lake State Park.

Back to List

Title: Lost Civilizations: Rediscovering Ancient Sites Through New Technology
Author: Austin Atkinson
Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications
ISBN number: 0-8230-2873-9
Publication date: 2002
Grade levels: 8-12
Submitted by: Robin Hosemann

This book provides an overview into several ancient world cultures including those at Pompeii, Troy, Macchu Picchu, and Angkor Wat. It also contains computer reproductions of civilizations based on archaeological research. The sections are arranged by continent, so it gives a broad view of human civilization around the globe. Color photographs, spreads, aerial and satellite photographs are inviting to the reader. The references and sidebars to the archaeologists and the early discoveries of the sites provide an over-arching framework that exposes the reader to the field of archaeology. The glossary at the back is an essential and helpful feature. This book could be used with younger students with teacher leadership and focus. Certainly the photographs would give teachers a great visual for encouraging discussion and sparking curiosity about ancient civilizations.

Back to Link

The Garbage Project started in the year 1972. This was to be a class project in an anthropology course at the University of Arizona teaching the principles of archaeology. They started with fresh garbage, which gave them demographic precision. Much later they began studying landfills which gave them aggregate information about culture.

According to the authors, garbage comes alive when it can be viewed in the context of broad patterns that the links between artifacts and behaviors can be discovered. The basic points about garbage are:

A sign of our human presence,
A place holder in time (past and present),
A mirror of a given society, and
A physical fact (setting the record straight).

The reason this book was purchased for our L.M.C. was because William Rathje spent a day with our students explaining the project and dispelling the myths about garbage. He explained artfully how landfills are much more static than thought. They are more apt to preserve rather than change the garbage to mulch. He also explained how we might behave differently than we really do.

What is the point? Why should you read this book? Garbage helps us understand real world issues and gives us detailed knowledge of the behavior of large groups of real people. Garbage also offers a way to investigate issues of mentality.

Back to List

Title: Archaeology - Science and Its Secrets
Author: No author was given. Translated by, Alison Taurel.
Published by: Raintree Publishers, Inc.
ISBN number: Soft Cover - 0-8172-3094-7
Publication date: 1988
Grade levels: 9-12
Submitted by: Dawn Cisewski and Myra Kay Bahan

Dawn Cisewski overview and comments:
I thought this book was really good. At first, I was unsure that I would be able to use it in my class. One reason I was unsure was because it was a ninth grade level book, and I only teach fifth and sixth grades. As I continued to read this book, I realized that even though it was geared for older kids, that there was a lot of good information being introduced. I decided that I could use this book in my classroom as long as I worked on delivering the information to a lower age level.

This book was broken down into 5 sections. They were as follows:
1. Great Sites and Lost Civilizations - This section talks about the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, how treasures are found, if treasures still can be found, and how these buildings were built. This section had some good information, but I didn't find it overly exciting.
2. The Archaeologist - This section really got me going. It spoke of the difference between and archaeologist and a prehistorian, who are some famous archaeologists, how do archaeologists excavate, with much more. I found this section more interesting than the first section.
3. The Work of Archaeologists - This too was rather interesting for me. There were many questions asked and answered like, “Can a person excavate a site alone?”, "What tools do they use?", "Can they work under water?", and much more. Some of these questions I never knew. I learned some neat stuff in reading this book.
4. Life in Ancient Times - This section talked about the lives of these ancient civilizations. It asked questions like, "Were there schools?", "Did they write on paper?", "Did the children have toys?", etc. Again, another section that was interesting, and I found that I learned a little more than I had already known.
5. Glossary of Terms - The glossary is always nice to have especially since this may be a subject some people have never heard of or experienced. It helps to define words that are used in archaeology that you may not know the definition of.

As I began reading this book, I was somewhat bored during the first section. My interest really sparked in the second and third sections. I really don't know a lot about Archaeology right now, and these sections helped me to understand a little better who an archaeologist is and what they do. The pictures in this book are wonderful. They really help the reader to actually visualize what the writer is trying to get across. Sometimes I thought the wording could be tough to understand, but in looking at the pictures, it wasn't quite so tough. I do believe that I will use this book in the future to help me with my newly forming archaeology unit.

Myra Kay Bahan overview and comments:
This is a nice broad-based background book on Archaeology. While it has an index and glossary that is easy to use, it is inquiry based learning and therefore is not necessarily organized in a form that most students are used to studying. If a student was doing research for a specific report, this would be a good jumping off place to help them narrow their subject. They would not be able to use this as their sole resource. It could be a good source for vocabulary examples. I could see making overheads off of some of the pages to explain specific terms or ideas that I was introducing to a class.

Back to List

Title: 100 Great Archaeological Discoveries
Author: Paul G. Bahn, Editor
Publisher: Barnes & Noble Books
ISBN number: 0-7607-0070-2
Publication date: 1995
Grade levels: Independent 10-12 grade/ 6-9 with guidance (nudity of statues may make it inappropriate for independent use in middle school)
Submitted by: Andrea Christopherson

An encyclopedic overview of archaeology, this book presents the story of archaeology through a mere one hundred of history's greatest archaeological discoveries. It reviews global archaeological sites. This resource would be appropriate to encourage students' curiosities about archaeology. The photographs and captions alone would entice any middle school student to read on in order to discover more. The text is written in a formal tone, but is not a deterrent.

Back to List